Author: Luke Reimer

Today in sports history (1974), the North Carolina State Wolfpack beat the Marquette Warriors in the 1974 NCAA Championship. This was NC State’s first championship. The Wolfpack was led by the legendary David Thompson. Marquette featured Bo Ellis and Lloyd Walton and was coached by the legendary Al McGuire. The big story coming into the game was NC State beating UCLA in the Final Four. This put an end to UCLA’s streak of seven straight championship wins. The game was held in Greensboro, NC, basically giving the Wolfpack a home game. With their win over UCLA, many believed that NC State would…

Today in sports history (2019), New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL. Gronkowski was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round in the 2010 NFL Draft. With Tom Brady, Gronkowski became one of the most popular players in NFL history. This came from his carefree and party attitude. Being the ultimate odd couple, Gronkowski and Brady dominated the NFL in their time together, becoming one of the greatest passer-pass catching duos in NFL history. Even with the “party-boy” personality, Rob Gronkowski produced on the football field. At the end of his tenure with…

Today in sports history (1957), the North Carolina Tar Heels won their first NCAA Tournament Championship. The championship was one of the greatest in history, as the Tar Heels won by one point in overtime. This game featured incredible talent, with Lennie Rosenbluth leading UNC and head coach Frank McGuire. Kansas was led by Wilt Chamberlain. Dick Harp was patrolling the sidelines in his first season as head coach of the Jayhawks. Kansas started the season as the favored champion, due in part to Chamberlain. North Carolina basketball came into the game undefeated, looking to complete an undefeated season, while Kansas came…

Today in sports history (1972), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took home the second MVP of his career. The young center was coming off a season where the Milwaukee Bucks won the championship and Abdul-Jabbar was named MVP of the season. In 1972, he picked up his second straight MVP and overall second MVP with the Bucks. With his partnership with Oscar Robertson, Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to a 63-19 record, which qualified them for the second-seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers took the one-seed after famously winning 33 games in a row. The Bucks were actually the team to break the 33-game win…

Today in sports history (2020), Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady was one of the most coveted free agents in NFL history at the time of his release from the New England Patriots. This ended a 20-year run for Brady as the leader of the New England Patriots. In New England, Brady finished with six Super Bowls, numerous records and an image of being one of the greatest football players of all time. Coming to Tampa Bay, many were skeptical about Brady’s ability to still play. He immediately dispelled those thoughts as he won a Super Bowl in his…

Today in sports history (1966), Texas Western Basketball knocked off Kentucky to win the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky came into the game, ranked number one in the country. Texas Western was third. The significance of this game was that Texas Western was comprised of college basketball’s first all African American starting lineup. Kentucky featured a starting five of all white players. 1966 was a period in United States history of civil rights and activism, so to some, this was just more than a basketball game. Texas Western Wins 1966 NCAA Tournament The game opened up with Kentucky jumping too early for the opening…

Today in sports history (1995), Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan announced his comeback from retirement. Jordan retired in 1993 after his first three-peat, partially due to losing interest in basketball and partially due to his father’s murder. Rumors stemmed that David Stern had suspended Jordan for gambling. However, Stern later debunked these claims. While retired, Jordan tried his hand at baseball, playing for the White Sox affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. Jordan eventually returned to the NBA, sending a press release that just said, “I’m Back.” Michael Jordan and the Bulls Win Three More Championships The 1994-95 Chicago Bulls were not the team from…

Today in sports history (2013), Ole Miss basketball took down Florida in the SEC Championship to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Mississippi entered the tournament as the three-seed, while Florida came in as the one-seed. Ole Miss was led by Marshall Henderson, who was scoring 20.1 points per game. Not only was Henderson scoring a ton of points, but he was also pissing off every fan base in America with his cocky and carefree attitude. On Florida’s side, Mike Rosario, Kenny Boynton and Erik Murphy were leading the charge, all scoring 12 or more points per game. Many expected a Florida-Kentucky…

North Carolina basketball has been overlooked all year. North Carolina recently received an eight-seed in the tournament and will have to take on ninth-seeded Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In Hubert Davis’ first season in relief of Roy Williams, he led the Tar Heels to a 24-win season. Included in the season was a win over Duke in Coach K’s last game at Cameron Indoor. With wins over Duke and Michigan, but losses to Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, what can we expect from the Tar Heels? How far can North Carolina go in the NCAA Tournament?…

Big East basketball was on a high this season. With the exception of Georgetown, who didn’t win a conference game, almost every team in the Big East finished somewhat where they were projected. Villanova took home the conference championship, while Providence took home the regular season title. The Friars had the best season in school history this year. Marquette, Seton Hall, Creighton and UConn all made appearances in the top-25 this year. Where will these Big East basketball teams finish in the NCAA Tournament? How Long Will Big East Basketball Teams Last in the NCAA Tournament? How Far Can Villanova…